Israeli tanks push deep into Gaza

KHAN YOUNIS – Israeli tanks and bulldozers backed by attack aircraft moved into the southern Gaza Strip yesterday, killing four militants in the widest operation in the territory since Islamic Hamas forces wrestled control in June.

The violence took place on the eve of the first formal peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians since early 2001. The Israeli military described it as a routine operation ‘against the terror infrastructure’ in Gaza.But the scene on the ground – bodies lying amid the rubble of a destroyed building, Israeli tanks pushing deep into Palestinian territory, schoolchildren scurrying for cover – looked anything but routine.Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to sabotage the peace talks.Since the Hamas takeover, Israel has carried out frequent airstrikes and ground incursions into Gaza in response to Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli border communities.Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group and holds it responsible for all attacks launched from Gaza.At the same time, Israel has been pursuing a peace agreement with the rival Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.In yesterday’s operation, tanks and bulldozers pushed about 1,5 kilometres into southern Gaza, on the main road between the towns of Khan Younis and Rafah, and deployed over a 4-kilometre-long stretch of territory.Among Israel’s targets was a multistory building that suffered heavy damage.Amid the rubble, at least two militants lay dead, including one man whose body was torn in half by a blast.As rescuers pulled the bodies away, two Israeli shells struck the building seconds apart, sending people scrambling for cover.The body of a third man lay motionless after the blast.The incident was filmed by Associated Press Television News.An AP cameraman and several other journalists at the scene suffered minor injuries and shock.The Islamic Jihad group said an Israeli tank shell killed three of its fighters, and the smaller Popular Resistance Committees said a member died in an airstrike.Hospital officials confirmed the deaths.Schoolchildren ran through the streets of Khan Younis, let out early from school so they could take refuge in their homes.Militants carrying land mines and other weapons dodged among houses and maneuvered behind the tanks to fire at troops.Others took cover behind trees or covered themselves in leaves to camouflage themselves in open farmlands.Residents and Hamas security forces said at least 30 tanks and bulldozers took part in the operation, but the military said 10 tanks were sent in.The operation focused on an area that is a main launching ground for rocket and mortar assaults on army bases and the Israeli-controlled Sufa crossing into Gaza.More than 15 militants have been killed in the area in recent Israeli airstrikes.Soldiers took over the rooftops of several homes at the onset of the operation, which began around dawn, and detained more than 60 people in house-to-house raids, residents said.The Israeli military said they were taken into custody for questioning.Nampa-APThe Israeli military described it as a routine operation ‘against the terror infrastructure’ in Gaza.But the scene on the ground – bodies lying amid the rubble of a destroyed building, Israeli tanks pushing deep into Palestinian territory, schoolchildren scurrying for cover – looked anything but routine.Palestinian officials accused Israel of trying to sabotage the peace talks.Since the Hamas takeover, Israel has carried out frequent airstrikes and ground incursions into Gaza in response to Palestinian rocket and mortar attacks on Israeli border communities.Israel considers Hamas a terrorist group and holds it responsible for all attacks launched from Gaza.At the same time, Israel has been pursuing a peace agreement with the rival Palestinian government of President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank.In yesterday’s operation, tanks and bulldozers pushed about 1,5 kilometres into southern Gaza, on the main road between the towns of Khan Younis and Rafah, and deployed over a 4-kilometre-long stretch of territory.Among Israel’s targets was a multistory building that suffered heavy damage.Amid the rubble, at least two militants lay dead, including one man whose body was torn in half by a blast.As rescuers pulled the bodies away, two Israeli shells struck the building seconds apart, sending people scrambling for cover.The body of a third man lay motionless after the blast.The incident was filmed by Associated Press Television News.An AP cameraman and several other journalists at the scene suffered minor injuries and shock.The Islamic Jihad group said an Israeli tank shell killed three of its fighters, and the smaller Popular Resistance Committees said a member died in an airstrike.Hospital officials confirmed the deaths.Schoolchildren ran through the streets of Khan Younis, let out early from school so they could take refuge in their homes.Militants carrying land mines and other weapons dodged among houses and maneuvered behind the tanks to fire at troops.Others took cover behind trees or covered themselves in leaves to camouflage themselves in open farmlands.Residents and Hamas security forces said at least 30 tanks and bulldozers took part in the operation, but the military said 10 tanks were sent in.The operation focused on an area that is a main launching ground for rocket and mortar assaults on army bases and the Israeli-controlled Sufa crossing into Gaza.More than 15 militants have been killed in the area in recent Israeli airstrikes.Soldiers took over the rooftops of several homes at the onset of the operation, which began around dawn, and detained more than 60 people in house-to-house raids, residents said.The Israeli military said they were taken into custody for questioning.Nampa-AP